Fornits

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An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

Truly one of the most terrible experiences of my life. I wake up screaming from nightmares about getting sent back and every time something bad happens to me I worry that I will get sent away again. Please, for the love of God, do not send your child here. They kept me in isolation from my group members for an entire month because I couldn't make a fire. Staff would belittle us, especially my therapist, Christine. I have chronic back and hip pain from the hikes that I took there. I had an eating disorder and would be forced to hike for hours without having eaten anything for the past 2 days. There were times I collapsed and fell with my face in the dirt during hikes and staff would not help me up. I was malnourished and not provided with the proper care for someone recovering from an eating disorder. They were extremely medically negligent. I was forced to take a black box medication and was titrated at an adult rate when I was 13. I had severe tooth pain that kept me from talking and eating and it took them a whole month to take me to the dentist. They lied and told my parents they sent me as soon as they found out. There was a student who had a fly lay eggs in wounds in her hands and she was never taken to the doctor. After 2 weeks staff stopped giving her iodine even though there was still fly larvae crawling out of her skin. I could go on for pages about what I experienced at Blue Ridge, but the bottom line is that if your child is sent to blue ridge, they will be abused. Please, for the love of God, do not send your child here.

This place should be shut down immediately. They are abusive in every form of the word and the counselors are completely delusional if they believe other wise. Also the therapists are complete liars and use emotional manipulation to get what they want (money) from the children's guardian's. They tell the parent's that their child is improving when in reality they are starving to death and being verbally broken down every single day. Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness program destroyed my life and I will probably struggle with ptsd for the rest of my life.

This program is extremely abusive.  I had my daughter go there when she was 16.  She went for 5 months and when I saw her again, she wasn?t the same.  There were scratches and bruises all over her body.  She was pale and thin and even had extreme eye bags due to lack of sleep and care.

I wouldn?t even wish this upon my worst enemy.  Because of this program, my daughter has horrible ptsd along with anxiety and depression.

This place deserves 0 stars. My parents were not aware of what they were getting me into. I have had ptsd therapy for a year now and still have nightmares. I never felt safe for example i stayed up all night during a storm in light night position counting at least 100 lightning strikes and had to hike 2 miles the next day on no sleep. I witnessed one of my group mates beat up another and it was truly scarring. Girls self harmed all the time and would run away just to be brought back cut up and in horrible condition. This place is poorly run and brainwashing. I will never truly recover and i hope these sort of places are shut down forever.

I was here for about 3 months. I was only able to wash my hair once they pored water on my head after I scrubbed my hair. I lost 15lbs and have severe ptsd. When I returned home my head was so matted I had developed dreadlocks and lice I had to spend 4 days trying to salvage my hair and keep in mind my hair is relatively curly. There were kids there with much curlier hair who no doubt went home and shaved their head. I have chronic pain in my back and severe ptsd. The reviews written by ?happy parents? are not real. Please if you are thinking of sending yourself or your kids here, don?t. Do not do it.

Do not send your child here. I am a survivor and suffer from diagnosed PTSD from this place. A lot of other people had to go through the same thing and we all know that this place causes more bad than good for us. Spending 100+ days here felt like torture and I still haven't forgiven my parents for sending me here.
If you are planning to send your child here don't. Do some research instead and try to help them in a nother way.

I went here for over 6 months. They do not give you fresh water or to treat anything with it. Most of the kids at came are extremely sick, vomiting and diarrhea, the workers would brush it off and thought it was a joke. Every happy picture is staged. All in all it was a terrible experience and all it did was traumatize me

It's a cash grab.

I spent nine weeks in the woods living under conditions that aren't even acceptable in our prison system.

One highlight of the experience is when I got sick with dystentary and they forced me to march with a seventy pound pack. When I keeled over to vomit they had me bag it up in a plastic bag and carry it due to their "leave no trace" policy.

We were constantly under physical and mental strain, and if we didn't smile and pretend to be "learning" or "healing" they would punish us with isolation from the group or no food.

When I finally got through their program there was a transition camp for two days with my parents. The difference between the quality of life at transition camp and the regular program were night and day.

These people do not care about helping kids. They want money.

I almost lost my left leg and died from infection. The infection was a direct result of the lack of care shown at this program. On top of that, they go around lying about whose behind this program truly, it is a Second Nature program which are notorious for their abusive practices and disfunction. Deleting my review will do nothing as well because I am operating on spite and I guarantee that fire burns stronger than any attempts you people can make at stopping me. I speak the truth and have the evidence to back it.

Xu's testimoney

The program lied to my parents giving false legal information saying if i left the state of Georgia it would complicate my felony even more because the place is so depressing me and a friend of mine there tried running away and we happend to come across a car with its door open and keys inside to swindle more cash pre day during my stay there in GA 2 the boys group 1 tried to kill them selfs 1 ran away 5 times turned 18 and finally ran away they over charge the worth of this program by priceless amounts WOULD NOT RECOMMEND if you have a troubled teen it would be much more beneficial to talk to them and provide care your self or send them to a residential or rehab facility the kid who tried to kill him self was there for 90 days and got kicked out last minute and all the program did was recommend him to another program a absolute WASTE OF MONEY

White's parent-testimony

I regret taking my son here.  He attempted suicide TWICE because of this program.  My son isn?t the same anymore because of the trauma this program causes.

Reading through the news articles in the Tampa Bay Times, I found some disturbing similarities in the statements of others and what I experienced here, even though they were sent to this facility many years after me. I was sent to Bonifay, Teen Challenge in May of 2002 and ?graduated? in September of 2003 only after my parents signed a waiver for me to join the US Army (as my other option was homelessness). But in June of 2002 I was nearly killed in this facility by a staff member called ?Sergeant Williams.?

I raised my hand to ask a question in the dining hall and was picked up several feet off the ground and slammed head first onto a tile floor. I could not move or feel anything for several minutes. I had a knot on my head the size of a softball, got dizzy and sick often, and found walking difficult for several weeks. I was refused medical care. I would find out years later during a CT scan that my skull had previously been fractured and I had sustained what should have been treated as a life threatening concussion. SGT Williams would go on to do this to several other children during his career at TC Bonifay, until eventually being let go for nearly killing another cadet.

In this facility we were forced to fight each other in a boxing ring in what was called the ?back 40? (the 40 acres of land behind the facility facing away from Highway 2) for staff entertainment. Sometimes the staff would enter the boxing ring with cadets if they felt there was an issue with a child. It is important to note that the staff members during my stay at TC Bonifay were all either ex-military, active duty police officers, or former police officers. One of which was ?SGT Pollock,? an active duty police officer, who was fired for sexual misconduct involving a cadet (TC did do the right thing here). Another honorable mention is SGT Wright, a former Marine, who entered the ring with a cadet and knocked him out (he was not fired).

We were physically worked until several of us were urinating blood, and forced to dig 6′ x 6′ holes in the ground to ?bury our demons? if we committed an offense such as not standing at the position of attention with the correct posture.

It noted in the Tampa Bay Times that the school is not regionally or state accredited. The Army accepted the HS diploma issued (bear in mind it was 2003 during the invasion of Iraq), when applying to college after leaving the military I still had to go and get a GED due to this school not being accredited.

If anyone else is out there reading this, please do not send your child here. If you are also a victim of abuse at this facility, please share your experience and vote to change the law regarding class action suits of facilities like this so we can be somewhat compensated for the brutality experienced here and years of PTSD which follow.

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• Victims of the Troubled Teen Industry (1000 places You don't want to be as a teenager)
• Boy who died at Brooklawn children's center in Louisville identified (Louisville Courier Journal)
• 7-year-old died at Kentucky youth treatment center due to suffocation, autopsy finds; 2 workers fired (Louisville Courier Journal)

• In June 15-year old Tina Byrd hanged herself using part of her clothes
• In November 16-year-old Russel John Hayden used bedsheet to hang himself detained for truancy issues

• Teenager hangs self (The Bryan Times)

• THE MYSTERY OF CONNIE MUNSON – 1980 (BETHESDA HOME FOR GIRLS) (Missing TTI Victims Teens)
• Bethesda girls complain of strict rules at place (Hattiesburg American)
• A look back: SPLC lawsuit led to closure of abusive home for teenage girls (SPLC - Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Fire destroys former home for troubled youth (WDAM 7 news)

• Joy Evans (Today a child died - memorial blog)
• Victims of the Troubled Teen Industry (1000 places you do not want to be as a teenager
• Bleak House : As patients died one by one, a Washington D.C. home for the mentally retarded became one of the nation’s most deadly institutions. Eventually, Forest Haven was closed, but questions linger about how the nation cares for those entrusted to its protection. (Los Angeles Times)

I am begging you with every fiber of my being not to send your child here. I was at AAG from August 12, 2013-August 14, 2014. I have never been more traumatized than I was while I was there. We were treated like garbage and while there was a handful of good staff the majority did not care and would put us into restraints for absolutely no reason. I also was sent to the basement and forced to do nothing and I was not allowed to have conversations. We were barely allowed to be near each other. To this day I have nightmares about this school and everything I went through. There are so many places that can help your child but this is not one of them.

WARNING - DON'T SEND YOUR DAUGHTER HERE IF YOU LOVE HER!  The staff are rude and girls can get by with basically anything.  iF you act out you get restrained and staff holds you down until you agree to stop.  My parents sent me here when I was 13 and I will never forgive them for the 8 months of absolute hell they put me through!

*to clarify, this is about my experience with AAG, not solstice* My own PTSD regarding my traumatizing experience at this school years ago, has kept me from doing anything as simple as writing this review, in terms of speaking out. Somehow years later, I’m still so fearful of this place that I am afraid to speak out against it, and tell my story. But they don’t have any control over me anymore, they cannot punish me for writing an honest review.

In my and many other’s opinion, this school manipulates parents. Both in getting them to send their kids here, and getting them to stay. If you say anything negative about the school to your parents, they tell them that you are not “accepting” of the fact that you are here, and they make you stay longer. In the years following my stay here, my parents have recognized the many manipulation tactics they used, and have apologized to me for falling for them. Even if you have toured the school, and have had students tell you they are fine and dandy..... trust me. I was one of the students they paraded around during tours. I felt trapped into assuring parents that this school was safe, and was helping me. I feel guilty about that to this day, but I was emotionally trapped and had no choice (at 14 years old).

I witnessed a number of restraints that didn’t need to happen, people being taken to “the basement” for hours or even DAYS, with nothing to do except sit and get even more upset, as punishment. I witnessed a certain therapist scream at a student who was suffering, and the same therapist made fun of me while I was disassociating.

and while we are talking about staff, there were at least two staff members who worked at the school when i went there who, now that I am older, i believe may have been acting inappropriately towards students. in what exact capacity I’m not sure, but personally I know of one former staff member who would tell me and other students about her sex life in order to get us to do our chores, etc.

We were also forced to read “impact letters” from our parents, which stated explicitly why we were sent there, to a large group of other preteens. We could not skip words, and often had peers reading over your shoulder to make sure you weren’t leaving anything out. What purpose it served to be forced to read your parents words in front of the other girls, aside from shame and humiliation, I have no clue. Aside from my own impact letter, it was so uncomfortable for me to have to listen to other girls’ reading theirs, knowing how traumatizing it was. It was also just terribly awkward.

I have many other stories to tell, and I will one day. If anyone in charge this school is reading this, just know that I understand that some of you are well meaning. i get that. But in my opinion, at least a couple of years ago, you are/were not doing it right. This is not the nurturing environment you advertise it to be.

To use the words you so loved to throw in my face when I was there... me choosing to write this review, and in the future, tell my story, is my version of “advocation” and “authenticity”. I WILL advocate for the bettering of institutions like yours, as well as for the people who have been hurt by them. And I WILL be authentic, and eventually, unafraid, in honestly talking about my time here, in hopes to raise awareness and to help myself heal.

When I was here at AAG it was when I was 12 I am now 17 and still think of the terrible expiernces I have been through at that place. I’ve been to over 5 programs and can reccomend good ones for parents looking to send there children here please do not!!!! I was consitnitly retrained and so was everyone else for the most ridiculous reasons, (getting to close to another peer) and I was also put in the basement with no peer interaction for 2 weeks before I begged my parents to send me to a wilderness program which I came from. I remember one time I was cutting myself and they didn’t notice till 3 weeks in the staff is a joke they want money the only reason there their.

I went to this horrible horrible place about 3 years ago. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD. My family and I have spent years trying to undo the damage and PTSD put on me by “therapists” and “trained staff”. I was locked in a room by myself for a full month! THESE PLACES DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THEM!

If you are reading this, and you are having trouble with your daughter, I just want to let you know that, what your daughter is going through is not forever and while it may be difficult and you are unsure what to do as a parent, the best thing you truly can do is be there for your kid and not expect some program to try and fix your child's problems. As a young adult woman now.. the problems I faced as a 12-13 year old girl surpassed as I got older and I got through the cruel phases of puberty that all women go through in their lives.

It's been roughly 5 years since I attended this therapeutic school program. I was sent here in continuation from another treatment center as a way to slowly integrate into a normal school system. This school is set in a beautiful environment, the house where solstice and AAG was in was very nice and whilst being there, it was going under remodeling so I can only imagine what it is like now.

The biggest problem with this  program I can share is, the lack of understanding between the staff and the students. The program was set in a level system where you can earn privileges as you increased in rank. You proceed in your rank by taking accountability, showing respect, leadership, progressing in therapy, and doing assignments, etc. I got to the 3rd highest rank within the program. In this program I felt trapped and I felt very lost. Music was and is my life but for the majority of my time there, my music listening was restricted to 30 minutes per weekend. Staff also put restrictions as to what the students can and cant listen to or read so being my 13 year old self, this only caused me to rebel and look for ways to sneak in my books, and my cds. Music regardless of genre and style or content, is extremely helpful in therapy and I was quite baffled as to how that was considered a privilege? It was the hardest thing about attending AAG. AAG put a new wave of defiance in me with all of the restrictions they put upon the students. No student is one and the same, what one girl may find helpful, maybe different for another. Therapy is personal.

The actual therapy wasn't very good, I couldn't relate with my therapist at all and I found that my therapist often rarely worked with me. I would have to send requests but even then, she wouldn't acknowledge them sometimes. I did Ptsd based therapy but I wasn't even sure that was the problem, the main problem was that I had no liberty and the only way I could escape or free myself from this institution was look to books and religion. I'd also work with a doctor who would prescribe me medication without my fathers discretion. I can't even remember all the different kinds of pills they put me on, now today my digestion is messed up from it all, young girls from the ages of 10-14 shouldn't be taking 60 mgs of prozac  or prescribed 20mg of ritalin. Its terrible for their health and any reasonable adult should know that this stuff is not good for developing bodies. I had no say, it was a "doctor knows best" deal, and most typically doctor dont always know best.

I found myself more depressed in AAG than I was before in my everyday life . I was suicidal, I missed my father, and more importantly I felt so disassociated with reality, reality isn't accountability groups and "I feel statements", reality is knowing your situation, and learning to make a mistake and take that mistake and learn from it. This school should've preached love instead of making these poor girls feel bad about themselves in front of their parents. What those girls wanted was someone to understand them through this confusing and difficult time, and all we truly had was each other. Sisterhood is very real in this place, I am still friends with the girls I met 6 years ago at AAG. They have all grown to be great strong young women.

This isn't trying to hurt the school, this is just some of the things I experienced while I was here. For some it might be a good fit, but for me, it really was a nightmare.